Silver Stakes
by MissBelikova127
Summary: A collection of my own one-shots inspired by : Moments, Avenging Angel, and A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That. All pairings will be included, and mostly stay true to the world Richelle Mead created for us. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1: Sacrifice

**A/N: This is my first time writing fan fiction for VA. I know there are a few one-shot based stories on here, and I was inspired so I thought I'd add another. Please let me know what you think (good or bad), and let me know if you think I should keep these coming!  
P.S.: I'm open to any prompts you PM me, and if any of these inspire you into a full story I'd be more than happy to let you use my ideas!**

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Prompt: Sacrifice  
Words: 630  
POV: Lissa

When I saw Tasha pick up the gun and grab Mia I knew I had to step in. She'd be in enough trouble for killing Tatiana, killing a bystander would just make it worse.

And of all Moroi, it just had to be Mia. I knew she'd put up a fight, we'd probably end up with even more casualties. I didn't want any.

Summoning up the magic within me, I tried to get her attention. I needed Tasha to look right at me. I went to take a step forward.

"Tasha please don't-"

Before I could get the words out Mia broke away. I heard clamoring behind me, scared the guardians would seize me before I could get her attention I tried to propel myself forward. At the same moment, Tasha, in a panic, trained the gun forward and let out two shots. Two shots zipping through the air, straight where I was headed. But just when they should've hit me, Rose was there.

Time stood still and then Rose was falling. She hit my arms, and I let out a sob, watching the blood stains rapidly blooming on her chest. It was like the accident all over again.

Clinging on tight to her, I let us drop to the floor. The room was in chaos, but at that point it was just her and me. My best friend. My bond mate. My sister. Dying in my arms. She couldn't do this. She couldn't leave me.

"Someone get help! She's bleeding out -" I cried out to anyone.

"Rose you can't leave me," I whispered, tears quickly spilling over onto my cheeks.

Dimitri fought his way next to me grabbing her hand, and murmuring to her in Russian as her gaze started to slip away.

Her eyes were filled with so much love, and even through all the pain, it looked like she was trying to smile. She was trying to speak, but all that came out were gurgles and maybe the word 'first'. I couldn't even start to comprehend when I saw her eyes roll back.

"She needs help! Rose is dying!" I sobbed. I tried to summon spirit but for the first time I felt the bond numbing it. That's when I got hysterical. I couldn't get the damn magic to come when I needed it most.

The paramedics had just arrived. I felt strong hands grab my shoulders and begin to pull me away just when I went to try again, not trusting anyone but myself to keep her breathing.

"Let me go!" I cried, twisting hard, trying to make it difficult for whoever was pulling me away.

"Princess, the court's going into lockdown. I have been ordered to get you out," The guardian, grabbing tight said above my ear, tugging a little harder.

"No, you don't understand, you have to let me help her!" I strained my neck to look around his body, watching as they started CPR.

Just then Christian stepped in front of me, tears streaming from his eyes as well. "Lissa, stop. You have to let the paramedics work," he cried. You could hear the hurt in his voice.

Finally I relented, letting myself get dragged to the palace. The guardian led Christian and me to one of the suites on the first floor and stood there on high alert. Once the door was shut, I flung myself into his arms, sobbing into his chest.

"She can't die Christian! She can't—" I cried dropping to the floor. "I should be the one fighting for my life, not Rose. Christian, she sacrificed herself for me!" He slid down with me, taking my bloodstained hands into his.

"I'm so sorry Liss. I'm so, so sorry," He cried, holding me tight, stroking my hair.


	2. Chapter 2: Hospital

Prompt: Hospital  
Words: 511  
POV: Dimitri

In all my 24 years of life, I never once minded hospitals. That was of course until the day Rose got shot. The walls were boring, the smell was nauseating, and all the beeping of the machines was giving me the worst headache of my life.

I fought my way out of captivity to sit there in agony. I hated not knowing what was going on. Abe and Jeanine were the only other ones who managed to weasel their way into the hospital's waiting room with me. The whole court was on lockdown after the stunt Tasha pulled. The hours dragged by while the doctors and nurses worked tirelessly in surgery to save the love of my life. _My Roza_.

In those last moments I saw her lying helplessly on the ground, I saw all the love in her eyes, and knew without a doubt I was the stupidest man in the world. In her eyes was all the love I knew I didn't deserve, but without a doubt it was there.

Even after all the horrible things I did to her in Siberia, she still loved me with her whole heart. How could I be stupid enough to push her away? How could I have ever made her believe my love for her had just gone away as if it meant nothing?

It was at that moment, staring down into her deep brown eyes so full of love even despite the pain, I knew it was possible to forgive myself. If Rose survived this- No, when Rose survived this I'd have to let her know. Her love, in those dark moments freed me from all the guilt I felt. But if, God forbid, she didn't pull through (a thought I didn't even want to entertain) then this all came too late. This revelation would've all been for nothing.

I felt my control slipping, and jumped up out of my seat, quickly pacing around the waiting room like a caged animal.

On one of my passes, about two and a half hours in, I saw Jeanine's guardian mask finally slip.

At the three hour mark, Abe clapped a hand on my shoulder, leading me to a seat next to them.

And once four hours had passed tears were openly flowing down all of our cheeks.

Once we were a little passed four and a half hours, the doctor finally came out. We all jumped up at once. The doctor slowly made his way over and cracked a small, sad smile. My heart sank before he started to talk.

"Hathaway's family I presume…" He started. Abe nodded, wrapping an arm around Jeanine's shoulders, and looking up at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Well, you three certainly have a fighter on your hands. Rosemarie lost a lot of blood, needed a transfusion. One bullet grazed her aorta, missed it my millimeters. The other collapsed her lung. She flat lined twice during the surgery, but against all odds, she pulled through."

I breathed a sigh of relief. My Roza was alive.

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**A/N: I didn't know how to end this one, but I hope you all liked it. This was supposed to be uploaded yesterday but FanFic. was having issues. So you'll all get two chapters today! I'm really enjoying writing these, and I hope you all enjoy reading them! Please, please, please R&R and let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3: Spider Web

**A/N: After the last two serious updates I decided to add a much lighter one. I hope you all enjoy it! **  
**Please, please, please Read and Review :)**

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Prompt: Spider Web  
Words: 706  
POV: Third person

It's a rare day when Christian and Rose get time alone together. Since Lissa had become Queen, and Dimitri became his guardian, it seems as though one of them is always around. But this evening was different.

Today marked the anniversary of Lissa and Rose getting dragged back to St. Vlad's and thus meeting Christian and Dimitri respectively. The four of them, as a whole, decided to have a dinner to unwind and celebrate.

Originally, they were all supposed to pitch in and create the meal together, but Dimitri was asked to work overtime crowd control, and Lissa was staying late in a council meeting.

This left just Chirstian and Rose. Alone. In the kitchen.

"Rose, can you at least Julienne the carrots for the salad?" Christian asked in exasperation after she burned a red pepper on his indoor grill.

"Can I do what to the carrots?" she asked clearly clueless.

"Julienne, you know, a style of cutting. They should look like matchsticks when you're done," he informed her, gesturing to the cutting board he had just left so he could clean up her charred peppers and start over.

Rose shrugged, going to pick up the knife Christian had just left lying on the counter.

"Oh no, put that down, I will not have you bleeding all over the salad. There's a slicer up in the cabinet above the sink," he informed her, already imaging the tip of her finger sliced off and bleeding on the counter.

"Come on, Sparky, you don't trust me with a knife?" Rose asked, picking it up and twirling it around in her hand, looking like a crazed psychopath.

He looked over at her and rolled his eyes. "You know what, on second thought, maybe your blood would make a good dressing, let's try it," Christian answered, giving her his best snarky smile.

"Ha ha," she stated deadpan, "Hey, look at this…" she noted, slicer forgotten as she looked up and saw a spider spinning a web off the cabinet.

"What now—" Christian started until he caught sight of what now held Rose's attention. His eyes grew wide and he started backing away.

"Do you see how cool…"

"Rose, get that thing out of here!" Christian interrupted, quickly abandoning the grill and stepping even further away from the cabinet, where said spider was still weaving away.

"Aw is little Chrissie afraid of the itsy bitsy spider?" Rose teased moving closer to the web.

Insects apparently felt the same way about dhampirs as any other animal did and it suddenly jumped away. That's when the gates of Hell opened.

Rose jumped up onto the counter following it, and Christian let out a very loud, almost girly squeal.

"EW, kill it!" he cried, running to the doorway of the kitchen, leaving Rose to her hunt.

"It's a jumping spider, and we found it in the evening. I can't kill it, that's bad luck!" she shouted back, moving further along the counter, knocking various dinner components onto the floor.

She picked up a mason jar off the counter and tried to capture it without much luck. The spider was jumping along the cabinets and ceiling leaving silky fibers in its wake, and a mess wherever Rose followed it.

"Come on, Rose, you almost got it!" Christian cheered from the doorway on one of her closer attempts.

Strigoi she could handle, but a jumping spider, that sucker was fast.

Finally, she got a close enough shot, she chased it to the window and flung it open, watching as the spider cleared the top of the screen and made its way out into the early rays of sunrise.

She turned around, a triumphant smile playing on her lips, before taking in the kitchen which now looked like a hurricane had rolled through.

"So, I take it we're ordering in?" She asked Christian who was now also surveying the damage to the meal he had painstakingly prepared.

"Looks like it," he confirmed, "And Rose, we fought over you burning the peppers, ok?" Rose looked at him with a sly smile and let out a laugh.

"Whatever you say, Lord Ozera, just remember...I know the truth".


	4. Chapter 4: Superstitions

**A/N: I think FanFic's updating issue is finally fixed! So here's a chapter to celebrate :) I couldn't wait until the morning. This one takes place right after Richelle's short story, Homecoming. I'll put the link on my profile in case you haven't read it yet!**  
**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the update!**  
**P.S. The amount of review's I've gotten so far is pretty disappointing. So _PLEASE REVIEW_ and let me know what you think!  
I want to hear from everyone!  
xoxo**

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**Prompt: Superstition**  
**Words: 887**  
**POV: Rose**

****Takes place right after _H__omecoming**_**

Dimitri's whole house was in chaos on the last day of our visit. So much so that Sonya's baby, Anastasia, was having a really hard time napping. Sonya herself looked about ready to pass out.

"Let me take her," I offered, reaching out my arms to her.

"Are you sure, Rose? This is your last day here; I don't want to bother you with a crying baby."

"I don't mind. Besides, I'm going to miss her," I cooed, finally taking the fussy infant from her mother's arms, "Why don't you go rest. Dimitri and I can take care of her," I insisted.

"Oh, thank you so much," She said warmly, already laying back, closing her eyes.

"Wanna take a walk with us, Comrade?" I asked Dimitri, gently bouncing Stasi in my arms.

"Of course," he answered, getting out of the arm chair he had just occupied and helping me strap her into her stroller.

Once we were a short distance from the home, the baby's cries were already quieting.

"See, I knew that's what you need!" I smiled, gently tickling her chubby cheek.

We had just gotten into town when an older woman, around Olena's age, looked over at the three of us.

As she brushed passed, I heard her mumble under her breath, "Oh, what an ugly child!"

I abruptly stopped walking, taking personal offence to that. That was rude even by my standards, and I was about to tell her where I thought she could shove her opinion. Stasi was an adorable baby.

Dimitri let out a small laugh and shook his head, seeing my face.

"It's a superstition, Roza. In Russia, a stranger's not supposed to look at a newborn baby before it is a certain age, and if they do, it is considered bad luck to compliment it," he explained, still laughing at my appalled expression.

"That is so stupid," I informed him, resuming our stroll through the small town. She was no longer crying, but she was still fussing.

"That's it I'm taking her out. She's probably too hot in there," I said, already reaching in to unbuckle her. "Isn't Siberia supposed to be freezing?"

"I told you you were wrong to believe the stereotypes," Dimitri said with another small laugh, sitting on a bench that happened to be in the shade, patting the seat next to him.

I took the seat and he draped his arm over the back behind me. Anastasia was finally dozing off, and I leaned into his side, still holding her close. I was looking down at her with a small, sad smile playing on my lips. It was fun to play house now, and not that I was ready yet, but I suddenly wished it were possible for Dimitri and I to have our own children.

We sat in silence for a while, watching the baby sleep peacefully, or at least I was. I felt Dimitri's eyes on me the whole time and had a feeling his thoughts were similar to mine.

"You'd be a great mother, Roza," Dimitri said, placing a gentile kiss on my head before running his hand through my loose hair, "I'm so sorry I can't give you the children you deserve."

"We can't give each other kids, Comrade, but you would make a great dad. Actually, I'm pretty sure I know why it's impossible for us to have children together," I teased, needing to lighten the mood.

"And why is that?"

"Well could you imagine? With our combined looks and skill our kids would be like gods. All the Moroi would be jealous of how hot they were, and the other Dhampirs would have totally unfair standards to match," I said with a smile, finally getting up to put a now peaceful Staci back in her stroller.

This earned me a full smile and an outright laugh from my boyfriend.

"You put a lot of thought into that didn't you," he teased. Standing up and walking over to me.

"Not really, I mean, that would be the obvious outcome," he pulled me into his arms and leaned down to kiss me, letting one hand tangle in my hair. I smiled and pushed him away. "Come on let's get back."

When we were finally a few feet from the house, the baby started waking up in a much better mood, and mine darkened.

Yeva was sitting on the front porch, the latest resting spot for her rocking chair, and trained her beady eyes on us.

"Your grandmother hates me," I grumbled to Dimitri, and he let out another laugh, taking the stroller from me.

"She actually doesn't. You should see what she does to the people she doesn't like," he whispered low into my ear, causing me to grin and roll my eyes.

He called a greeting to his grandmother earning him a wry smile and pushed the stroller into the house before me. When I made my way to the door, Yeva called out to me before I could go in.

"I thought you'd like to hear of my latest prophecy, Roza."

"You know I don't believe in them—" I started, before being interrupted by her.

"Oh, hush girl. I just thought I'd remind you that nothing's impossible. You of all people should know that," she added with a grin.


	5. Chapter 5: Lipstick

**A/N: I've been having issues posting new chapters on here the last few days. Here's to hoping this one works well! The update's a little late today, sorry! Hope it was worth the wait.**  
**P.S. _PLEASE_ REVIEW! I really want to know what you think, good or bad :)  
P.P.S. I have a link of Rose's bridesmaid dress on my profile if you're interested.**

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**Prompt: Lipstick**  
**Words: 760**  
**POV: Dimitri**

I glanced down at my watch for about the hundredth time. Three more minutes until my break, I could make it. Staying focused was the issue.

I was guarding Sonya and Mikhail's wedding, and really, keeping my eyes on Lissa and Christian was growing increasingly difficult. Rose was here, in the bridal party, and seeing her dressed up nearly stopped my heart.

The dark green dress she wore hugged her every curve. Her hair was curled and pinned to one side, falling over her left shoulder. And the fake eyelashes she was forced to wear made her dark eyes pop even more. But with all of that, nothing compared to the sheer pink lipstick she had on. It was glossy, pale pink shade that shimmered every time she opened her mouth.

Her lips were calling to me, and I needed them pressed against mine.

I looked back down at my watch, one minute left. She knew it, and cast a glance at me over her shoulder from across the room. She smirked when she caught my eye, quickly disappearing behind the set of french doors on the back wall.

I heard a voice crackle over my ear piece, it was my partner Bryan. "Belikov, I'm back from break. Alto says be back in an hour." I didn't need any more prompting.

I pushed myself off the wall and hurried across the room, towards the doorway Rose had just disappeared into.

I felt a hand catch mine the second the door shut behind me. I stared down at my Roza in complete awe.

"See something you like?" she teased, I knew the answer she wanted.

"Plenty," I murmured into her ear, gently pushing her against the wall and tilting her face up to mine.

I leaned down, watching her eyelids flutter shut as our lips finally met. The kiss started off sweet, then quickly grew needy and rushed.

I pushed my body closer to hers, sliding one hand into her hair and the other up to rest against the curve of her breast. She reacted instantly, arching her back off the wall, and reaching her hands under the hem of my now untucked shirt.

I pulled slightly away, resting my forehead against hers, just now remembering we were in public.

"Roza, someone could walk by," I started to protest, trying to move away. She moved her lips down across my jaw, before settling on the soft spot just below my ear.

"So follow me," she led me down the hallway, and snuck us into an empty conference room.

"This better?" she asked, kicking the door shut.

"Much" I answered, reaching around behind her to lock it.

I quickly attached my lips back to hers, and moved us slowly backwards until her back was pressed against the edge of the table. I lifted the long skirt of her dress up until it was above her hips. Digging my fingers into her soft flesh, I picked her up and sat her on the table. She quickly spread her legs open, letting me get that much closer, and brought our hips together.

I trailed my lips along her exposed neck, and pushed the strap of her dress off her shoulder when I reached it.

There was no turning back now.

"I cannot believe we just did that," Rose said with a giggle once we were both presentable and on our way back to the party.

She tucked her arm in mine, as we strolled down the hallway. I still had a few minutes until I had to be back.

"Were you not the one who insisted on us having 'slutty wedding sex' earlier?" I asked, giving her a smirk.

"I know, but I still can't believe you agreed to it."

"I'd never refuse a chance to be with you, Roza" I added, leaning down to kiss her.

After a short conversation with Sydney, my break was officially over. I led Rose back into the ballroom, giving her a quick kiss before I resumed my watch over all of the guests in attendance.

I took my spot back on the wall a few feet from Bryan. He did a double take before looking over at me with a smirk.

"I see you enjoyed your break more than I did," he commented, leaning close and momentarily covering his mic.

"What makes you say that?" I asked stoically, my guardian mask already firmly in place.

"The lipstick on your collar," he gestured to it with a knowing look in his eyes, "Pink really is your color, Belikov."


	6. Chapter 6: Love

**A/N: Short chapter today, I promise it'll be longer tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favorites and alerts, it means a lot to know that you like my work. And to those few of you who have reviewed so far, you put a huge smile on my face and I promise to give you more of whatever you ask for!**  
**_PLEASE_ continue to read and review! Even if it's only a few words, I'd love to hear what you all have to say!**

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**Prompt: Love**  
**Words: 456**  
**POV: Eleanor**

Eleanor Drozdov has been living at court longer than she'd like to admit to anyone. Much longer than the current queen's been alive that's for sure, maybe even her late parents; but in all of her time she's never seen a happier couple than the two dhampirs who lived in the townhouse next to hers.

They moved in shortly after Queen Vasilisa's coronation and were quick to introduce themselves.

_Such sweet kids!_

It was the Hathaway girl, Rosemarie I think, and the ex-strigoi, Beli- something or other; the old mind's slipping fast these days, but she'd hate to admit it.

Some of her more uptight neighbors balked at the controversial couple moving in, she heard the whispers:

"An accused murderess and ex-strigoi, how could the queen even allow them to reside here at court? Let alone be her protection!"

"What's the point of them even being together? It's not like they can have children."

But her favorite was, "Oh it's not even real love. How could it be? They're probably just staying together to plot against us all."

That last one made her laugh.

_Not real love, ha!_

In all of her years living amongst Moroi, she'd never seen a pair of them who loved each other as much those dhampirs did.

She knew from talking to them that the girl went to college with the Queen, and was only around part time.

Eleanor often sat on her front porch Thursday nights, waiting for the Hathaway girl to come home, almost as eager for her return as her partner, _ah- Belikov, that was his name!_

She loved to watch the couple reunite. Rose would come up the front steps and the door would open before she even reached the top. Belikov would step out and she'd watch as Rose launched herself into his arms.

Eleanor's heart melted every time she saw the look of pure adoration sparkling in his eyes as he gazed down at her. He'd lean down and give her a passionate kiss, before pulling away to give her a chaste one on the forehead.

They'd break away only long enough to send their elderly neighbor a quick wave and a sweet smile and she'd do the same, smile broadening as she watched them slip back into their home. Secretly loving the controversy they brought to her once boring neighborhood.

Eleanor couldn't help but find herself rooting for them. After all the gossiping, affairs, and backstabbing she'd seen and endured in her days, it was refreshing to see a couple like them.

Those other Moroi needed to take a good hard look at these kids. What they shared was true love, and if anyone doubted, it was only because they'd never experienced it before.


	7. Chapter 7: Color

**A/N: I tried to post this chapter last night, but I don't think it worked. Hopefully this time it does!**  
**P.S. _PLEASE_ read and review :)  
xoxo**

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**Prompt: Color**  
**Words: 623**  
**POV: Rose**

I was staring absentmindedly at the walls of Dimitri's bedroom, waiting patiently for him to finish laying out his clothes for the next day when the idea first struck.

"Comrade," I started, "do you know what this apartment needs?" I looked over at him across the room. He picked his head up and cracked a wry smile.

"Other than your last name matching mine on the lease, no, I don't know what this apartment needs."

Ignoring his subtle proposal, I kept going on my sudden revelation. "You need some color in here, it's too plain."

"Last time I checked," he sat on the bed next to me, "beige was a color," he added, snaking his arms around my waist and moving us so that he was hovering above me.

I smiled, taking control, and flipped us over so that I was straddling his hips.

"No, it needs real color," I insisted, ignoring his fingertips moving along the edge of my pajama bottoms. "Beige is just a different shade of white, and white is technically an absence of color," at least that's what I thought it was.

He sighed, rolling his eyes, and sat himself up so he could reach my neck with his lips. His attempts to distract me were working.

"Can we worry about this later?" he mumbled. I felt his lips form the words against the skin of my collar bone, as his hand reached around to pull my hair out of the braid I just had it in.

"What about orange," I suggested, shaking out my hair he had just freed.

He pushed the strap of my tank top off my left shoulder, and continued his trail of kisses.

"I've never been partial to the color orange. Reminds me too much of a pumpkin."

I slipped my hands under the hem of his t-shirt as I considered his words, running my fingers along his rock hard abs.

He reached down and pulled the shirt over his head. Mine was quick to follow.

"What about green?" he asked before flipping us over again. I ran my fingers through his hair while his head was down, giving some much needed attention to my breasts.

"Green?" I asked in disbelief, "Why would you want to paint your bedroom green?"

He shrugged, moving on and kissing his way down my stomach until he reached the waistband of my shorts.

"Maybe yellow," I proposed, looking down at him in amusement as he pushed my shorts and panties down with them, "Yellow's a cheerful color."

"I don't think I need to be 'cheerful' in my bedroom. It's for sleep."

"And sex," I quickly added, "So maybe red would be better."

He looked up at me from his place between my legs, "red is a very passionate color," I nearly lost all of my self-control right then, seeing the desire in his eyes before he cast them back down. He had my legs shaking and hands tightly gripping the blankets in minutes.

"On second thought, I don't know if I could handle much more passion."

He let out a small laugh and I pulled his face back up to mine, kissing him hard.

"You know I read somewhere that staring at a blue surface intensifies an orgasm," he added with an uncharacteristically arrogant wink when we paused for air.

"Well I don't know how they could get better," I murmured in his ear, flipping us over so that I was on top again, "But I guess it couldn't hurt to try," I gave him a smoldering look, gently biting my bottom lip.

After I returned the favor, he pulled me up so I rested on his chest.

"I'll pick the paint up on my way home tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 8: Sister

**A/N: There were still issues on here yesterday (Urrgh!) but I think everything's fixed now.**  
**Hope you enjoy the chapter!**  
**_PLEASE PLEASE PLEAS_E review. Good or bad I just want to hear from you all!**  
**xoxo**

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**Prompt: Sister**  
**Words: 821**  
**POV: Lissa**

It took a while for me to figure out what was going on between Jill and Eddie. But once I did, I realized it had been obvious for far too long.

At first I saw Rose flinch one day, during a council meeting she was guarding, when one of the other royals muttered something about dhampirs tainting the Dragomir line.

The next day I saw them walking across court together, hands deliberately brushing each other's every so often, and then he put his on her lower back. The nerve they had to do that right in the middle of the vampiric day. I pulled Rose closer to me and nodded to the couple walking ahead of us.

"How long have you known about them?" I asked.

She looked bashful, a first for Rose, not wanting to betray her friends or lie to me.

"Since they got back from Palm Springs," she admitted, "But it's not like they outright told me. I accidentally walked in on them while looking for Eddie."

"And how serious are they?"

"Exclusive from what I can tell. I don't think you have to worry about her innocence though. Eddie's not like that, he'll take good care of her."

"I don't doubt that. He's a great guardian; but others know," I whispered back, "She shouldn't be flaunting her intimate relationship with her guardian. She needs to be with a royal publicly."

Rose gave me an annoyed look but otherwise kept quiet. It made me look at my words in a different light.

"Jill," I called out, she turned her head towards me and Eddie took a discrete step away from her until I caught up with them. "I'd like to have a word with you later."

"Of course," she gave me a slight bow with her head.

"You too Eddie," I gave them the place and time and kept moving forward with Rose and the rest of my guard.

"You'll come too, please," I asked Rose, she gave me a weak smile, not entirely sure of my intentions.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

I rolled my eyes and she let out a true laugh. She knew how I felt about royal titles.

When the time for our meeting rolled around, I was running a little late.

Rose accompanied me, the two of us rushing our way across court.

Christian caught up with us just as we reached the palace, "Where's the fire? I don't remember starting one."

I gave him a half smile that quickly turned uneasy, "I'm running late, I'm on my way to meet Jill."

He slung his arm around my shoulders and kissed my cheek, "Don't rush, the Queen is never late. Everyone else is just early."

"Watching Princess Diaries again, Chrissie?" Rose chided.

He shot her a dry look, and began to retort. My nerves were too on edge to listen to them banter.

"We really need to get going," I interrupted abruptly.

I turned down the hall towards the crown room, where I set up our meeting and Rose fell into step with me silently.

The guardians at the door informed me that they had already arrived, and hoped I didn't mind they already let them in.

I walked into the room, quickly dismissing the guard who tried to announce my entrance.

When I reached my seat that looked out onto one of the courts gardens, Jill and Eddie began to rise, "Please, don't. You both know that's not necessary," I said with a regal air.

You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. Even Rose who took her seat next to me didn't bother with any witty quips.

"I'm assuming you two know why I've called you here," I started. They both nodded and I noticed that Eddie was doing that seeing without seeing thing all guardians excelled at. I looked over to Rose and noticed that her expression was very similar.

"Well as your Queen, I can't say that I approve of you two flaunting your relationship around court. Eddie, you're supposed to be her guardian, and as such I expect you to share a professional relationship. Not an intimate one," I paused, turning my attention to Jill.

"And Jill, I know you're new to all of this, but as a royal, especially in a dying line, it is of utmost importance that you settle down with a royal. Can you have a fling with a dhampir, yes, absolutely, if that's what you choose to do, but it should not be flaunted in public. Others have already noticed and that doesn't look good for us."

She started to protest, but I held up a hand to stop her, "I'm not finished."

She apologized, and my smile turned kind and genuine. I leaned out and rested my hand on top of hers, surprising everyone.

"As your sister though, I just want you to be happy, screw everyone else's opinions."


	9. Chapter 9: Plane

**A/N: Sorry I wasn't able to update yesterday. Here's an extra long one to help make up for it. **  
**Hope you enjoy!**  
**_PLEASE_ read and review!**  
**xoxo**

* * *

**Prompt: Plane**  
**Words: 1,322**  
**POV: Rose**

***Kind of a continuation of _Superstitions_***

When I say I don't want to be on a plane again in the next decade, I really mean it this time.

I'd been alright on our journey back to court thus far, but once I boarded the plane in Moscow I felt my stomach start flipping, and it definitely wasn't nerves.

I took the middle seat and closed my eyes, letting out a deep breath as Dimitri sat beside me on the aisle this time.

"Are you okay, Rose?"

I opened my eyes slowly, giving him a weak smile. "I'm fine."

"You really are a terrible liar," he took my chin in his hands and turned my face towards him. "I wish you'd be honest with me," he sighed.

"I'm just nauseous," I commented, looking into his eyes.

Satisfied with my answer, he kissed my forehead, "Maybe it was too soon to start training again," I shot him a very annoyed look.

"It's been 3 weeks, I'm fine. Besides I need to get back on active duty."

"Whatever you say, Roza,"he knew better than to argue with me when I was being difficult.

I leaned my head on his shoulder, quickly dozing off before the plane even took off.

About an hour into the flight, I woke up when I felt the seat I was in start to shake. Turbulence wasn't going to help my already queasy stomach.

I saw the seatbelt light flash back on but pointedly ignored it. I had the striking feeling that I'd soon be seeing my breakfast again.

I shot up from my seat, very ungracefully, making my way towards the rear bathroom.

I barely made it inside before my stomach lurched. I felt the bile rise in my throat and then I was hugging the toilet.

I heard the door that I hadn't had the time to lock click open; Dimitri squeezed himself in just in time for round two.

He quickly grabbed my hair, holding it back away from my face, and rubbed calming circles into my back.

When I had finally finished, he had the cold water running and helped me clean and rinse my mouth.

"Feel better?" he asked, taking me in his arms.

"A little," I nodded into his chest. "But I'm hungry."

This made him laugh, "I'll see what the flight attendant can get you."

I got back to my seat much more easily without the bumping around, and I really was starting to feel better.

Dimitri, true to his word, got the flight attendants to bring me pretzels and ice cold water.

I sighed, content for the moment, and leaned my head back against his shoulder. But a half hour later, I was back running to the bathroom. Everything I'd just eaten came right back up. This was going to be a long flight.

After my fourth trip to the bathroom, I insisted Dimitri switch seats with me, and saw him getting concerned.

"I'm fine, Comrade," I insisted, covering his hand with mine, "It's probably just food poisoning."

"Roza, we've eaten the same food. If that were true I'd be fighting you for the toilet."

"Well maybe you're just more used to Russian food than me."

He gave me that look that said I was being difficult again but didn't push the issue further.

About halfway through the fight, and three more trips to the bathroom later, I could tell some of the other passengers were getting annoyed.

I was rinsing my mouth for the seventh time when I heard a loud pounding at the door.

"Just a minute," Dimitri called back for me as I took a minute to gather myself.

"I understand you kids may have needs, but some of us on here actually need to use the lavatory," the angry passenger shot back.

At this point I was pale, cold sweating, and shaking but still insisting I was fine. Dimitri was growing increasingly frustrated with the whole situation, and perhaps unfairly, took it out on this poor middle aged man.

He flung the door open, and all 6 feet 7 inches of him stood there looming over the fat, balding man.

I looked around him and saw the man's eyes grow wide.

"I said, just a minute," he practically growled. I laid my hand on his arm when I saw his control start to slip.

"Relax, Comrade."

"I—I'm sorry," the man stuttered, before Dimitri roughly pushed passed him, already on his way back to our seats.

"What the hell was that all about?" I hissed when I resumed my seat next to him.

"He was being rude to you, Roza. I won't stand for that."

I stayed quiet, remembering the story of how he beat his father.

"Thanks, but I can take care of myself, you know," I added, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'm not so sure about that right now. You look like a gentle breeze could blow you over. I'm messaging your father now to meet us at the airport," he gestured to the iPad on his lap.

"Why do you have to get Abe involved? I'm fine," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest.

He ignored me, messaging back and forth until the arrangements were made.

By the time we landed in New York, I was starved and weak. I hadn't managed to keep anything down the entire day, and had taken several more trips to the bathroom whenever I tried.

Abe was waiting for us at the baggage claim area and I was surprised to see my mother right beside him.

Both of their faces turned into hard frowns when they caught sight of Dimitri practically caring me over to them.

"She's worse than you said, Belikov. We need to get her to one of our hospitals now," Abe noted.

My mom cast a worried glance at Abe and took me from Dimitri's side.

"Excuse us for a minute," she said to them, "Rose, may I have a word with you?" she directed all of her attention on me.

I nodded and she pulled me away, slowly leading me towards the ladies room.

"Rose, when was your last period?" she asked me abruptly once we were out of earshot.

I paused, taking the time to shift through my muddled memories.

"I don't know. I think I was locked up. So that was what, six weeks ago?...Shit!" I realized I was late. I was never late.

"That's what I thought. So whose is it? Adrian's?"

"No! Mom what are you talking about?"

"Rosemarie, I was the same way when I was pregnant with you. I couldn't keep anything down for days. Here, I brought this," she said, slipping a little white stick into my hand.

I was shocked when I realized what she'd handed me "No, that's impossible," I was really uncomfortable discussing my sex life with my mother, but I pressed on. "I've only ever _been_ with Dimitri," I assured her.

She raised her eyebrows and looked up at me skeptically. "It can't hurt to take the test."

"It's impossible, but I guess," I turned and pushed the door of the ladies room open.

My mom followed me inside and waited outside the stall while I peed. I took the handicapped one just so my mother could come in with me while I waited the three minutes.

She paced the stall while I sat in silence, waiting for what I was sure would be a negative result.

Dimitri and I couldn't have kids. It was impossible.

Then out of nowhere, I heard Yeva's words from the day before in my head, _"I just thought I'd remind you that nothing's impossible. You of all people should know that."_

I'd never believed in her prophecies until that moment.

My phone's timer went off and I quickly flipped the test in my hands over, but I didn't need to. I already knew the pink plus sign would be there.

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**A/N 2: Ok, I have some theories on how this could actually happen, but it's too long to explain in just one one-shot. I don't know if I should continue with it or not down the line. Let me know what you think! :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Embrace

**A/N: This one's Jill X Eddie, I actually really like those two together. I hope I did them justice in this chapter!**  
**As far as the last update goes, a few of you said you'd like me to continue with it, but do you think I should keep it here in the one-shots, or would you rather see it become its own story? I'd be willing to write more, jut let me know!**

**As always, please Read and Review, I'd appreciate it.**  
**Thanks!**  
**xoxo**

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**Prompt: Embrace**  
**Words: 801**  
**POV: Eddie**

She is a princess.

They come first.

I am an idiot.

I had a crush on my charge. My fifteen year old charge, who was one of the two Dragomir's left, and the only reason the Queen could hold her throne.

I was guarding her bedroom 'tonight', watching her stare out the window with wide, blank eyes.

She'd been that way since Rose left about an hour ago, assuring her we'd keep her safe and get her out of court undetected.

Another thirty minutes passed until I finally cracked. "Princess…" I started, she turned her head towards me.

"Princess," she paused, her gaze elsewhere, "You know, I've always wanted to be a princess. And now, here I am, I got my wish. Only to be locked away in my tower by evil half-sister," I'd only ever heard rambling like that in Rose and Adrian's darker moments.

I watched intently as her jade eyes slowly focused on the suite she's been locked in, "Please, just call me Jill," she continued, back to normal, "I'm only a princess when it's convenient for everyone else."

She sounded bitter. I hated that tone in her voice, it sounded unnatural.

I shifted my weight from one leg to the other, not knowing how to continue. I wanted to tell her that what she said wasn't true, but lately it seemed like she was right.

All anyone's cared about since the attack happened, three days ago, was keeping Jill locked away. They hadn't even stopped to consider how a fifteen year old girl would feel; locked away in a suite with only her guards for company.

I smiled at her sympathetically, "Do you want anything?"

Her eyes softened a little, "No, but thank you, Eddie. I think I'm just going to get ready for bed."

I nodded in response, keeping my attention on nothing and everything in the room at the same time.

Jill flitted around the room, grabbing her pajamas, toothbrush, and face wash before shutting herself in the suite's private bathroom.

Jill was lonely, I could see it. I just hoped whatever Lissa decided to do with her was really in her best interest. She'd been ripped away from her best friends, and the only real family she knew. Damn it, she was a princess. She deserved better.

I moved myself in the room so that I was standing in the opposite corner than the one I'd just inhabited. This way I could more clearly see the door, windows, and bathroom without having to move again. Though it was daylight, I couldn't let my guard down in here at all.

I heard the bathroom door creek open and was stunned to see how radiant Jill looked, even while prepared for bed.

She was wearing a pair of flannel shorts that showed off her long, lean legs, and an over-sized sweatshirt from a Moroi summer camp I'd only heard of. It took every ounce of my self-control to not reach out and push her brown curls away from her face.

She looked over at me like she'd seen a ghost when she realized I'd changed my position in the room.

"Sorry, I get a better view this way," I explained, feeling a blush rise in my cheeks when I realized my words could be taken in another way.

She didn't notice. God she was so naïve.

She reached up, shutting the curtains to make the room darker and climbed under her covers.

I watched as she tossed and turned for a while until her breathing finally evened out.

It was only then that I decided I'd take a seat.

I moved the armchair that was by the window into the corner I had just occupied and took a seat, still never letting my guard down.

I had just started to finally relax when Jill sat up and let out a piercing scream.

I was by her side on the bed in seconds just before she began to sob. Before I could even realize what I was doing I had her in a tight embrace, cradling her head to my shoulder as she continued to cry.

"Jill, what happened?" I asked, loosening my arms around her and pulling away so I could see her face.

"I saw him, Eddie."

I instantly knew who she was talking about, her murderer.

"He's gone, Jill. He's gone," I reassured her, "No one will ever get near you like that again. I promise."

She nodded slowly, wiping her tears on the sleeves of her sweatshirt.

I started to get up off her bed when she seemed better, but her hand caught mine before I could move away.

"Please don't leave me."

I sat back down on the edge of her bed and took her hand in mine.

"Never."


	11. Chapter 11: Grape

**A/N: Sorry there was no chapter yesterday, but that means there will be two today (hopefully)!**  
**Please read and review!**  
**Enjoy!**  
**xoxo**

* * *

**Prompt: Grape**  
**Words: 512**  
**POV: Dimitri**

**- Takes place at the ski resort during _Frostbite_ -**

"Dimka," Tasha murmured, resting a delicate hand on my arm, "Your shift is over, live a little," she urged.

I looked down and gave her that full, easy smile that came so naturally around her. She was a flirt, and so was I at one point, it was easy to fall back into those roles.

Her hand slid up the leather covering my arm to rest on my shoulder, pushing at my duster. I helped get it off and hung it on the back of the chair, taking her hand in mine.

"This could be so easy for us. Why can't you see that?" she questioned, coming around to drape herself across my lap.

She was beautiful, and so selfless. I saw how she was with Christian, and how passionate she was while fighting for what she believed in. She would make a great wife and mother, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to say yes.

"I can see that," I cupped her unmarked cheek in the palm of my hand, "But I don't know if I'm ready to give up my career right now. I'm only 24 and I have a very prestigious place as Vasilisa's guardian," only a half-lie as Rose liked to call it.

Rose. _My Roza_. She was like a drug I couldn't get enough of. And just so happened to be the real reason I was having a difficult time making this decision.

Tasha had offered me a family, something I never even dreamed of having. But with Rose, I didn't need that, I'd be happy to just spend the rest of my life in her presence.

"_Because you're in love with her," _The voice in my mind kept saying.

I pushed the thought away. I was scared to love her. No one saw through me the way she did. Sometimes, like that dreaded morning in the gym a week ago, she knew me even better than I knew myself.

Tasha on the other hand never looked deeper into what I said to her. She took everything at face value, so it was easy to be with her. Easy to hide behind my well-built walls around her. She'd never push back so hard that they'd crack.

_But you like when Rose pushes back._

I needed to shut that voice in my head up. So I leaned forward, catching Tasha's lips with mine. She sat stunned for a moment until slowly she started kissing me back, rapidly growing needier.

She had her nails biting into the skin on my shoulders, and hips grinding against mine while I moved my lips down her neck, gently sucking on it.

The kiss did a lot to shut the voice in my mind up, but something didn't feel right about it.

I moved back up to her lips, kissing her there harder and longer. When I slipped my tongue out of my mouth I finally noticed what was off.

This whole time I was kissing Tasha, I was imagining Roza's lips pressed against mine. And hers tasted like strawberry, not grape.


	12. Chapter 12: Jealousy

**A/N: Busy weekend, sorry for the late update!  
As always I hope you enjoy!  
Please please _please_ read and _REVIEW_!  
xoxo**

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**Prompt: Jealousy**  
**Words: 1,582**  
**POV: Rose**

***Continuation to superstition's story line***

It had been three weeks since Dimitri and I found out we were expecting, but after the attack on Jill at court, we hadn't exactly gotten around to telling Lissa and Christian yet. But in our defense, I still had another week until my first doctor's appointment, and we didn't even know how it was possible, or if it was even viable.

Regardless, Lissa had insisted on going out for our first official "thirsty Thursday" in college, and who was I to deny the Queen what she wanted? Hell, she deserved a chance to unwind around humans who didn't know about her royal status.

And with plenty of guardians around, we figured she'd be safe enough. That's how I ended up being that pregnant chick in the night club.

I had just inserted my earpiece when I heard my partner Gianna's voice loud in my ear.

"Damn, girl! You look hot! The only things you're going to be fighting off are the horny human guys tonight," she exclaimed, letting out a wolf-whistle.

I turned my head around and glared at her over my shoulder, "I think you're abusing our technology," I added with a smirk.

"Oh well. I call it how I see it," she plopped herself down on the couch in our suite at Lehigh, while Lissa and I finished getting ready. "You know, you're going against the rules tonight. Looking like that in front of Belikov—humph, he's not going to be looking at Christian, that's for damn sure. You're putting his Moroi at risk you know," a broad smile crossed her face as she wiggled her eyebrows like a vaudeville villain.

Gianna DeVerone was a loud, fake-tanned, Italian, Dhampir from New Jersey, who was apparently top of her class. She went to Alder with Adrian and graduated a year before him. That's how she ended up on Lissa's guard with me, and I absolutely loved her. She fit right in with us.

"Please, Dimitri's too professional for that," I scoffed, sliding my silver stake up the arm of the red blazer I was wearing.

"No man is too professional for that," she gestured to my body from head to toe, "And if he is, then I'd question which way he swings…if you know what I mean."

"Whose sexuality are we questioning?" Hayden, another one of Lissa's guards here at school, had just gotten on our frequency when we heard a knock at our door.

Lissa went to answer it, but Gianna sprang up and pushed her out of the way.

"It's Hayden, I can see his aura," Lissa insisted.

"You're still not supposed to be the one answering. How do you know there are no Strigoi out there with him?"

"I think we'd hear a struggle," I tapped my left ear which held the earpiece, "But she's right, Liss. You can't be risking yourself that way."

"Can one of you just let me in?"

Gianna looked out the peephole in the door to make sure he was really alone before she undid the three locks on our side.

"Thanks," he muttered as he stalked passed her, stopping to bow before Lissa in grandiose fashion, "Your Majesty, looking radiant as always." He grabbed her hand in his and kissed it.

"Hello, Guardian O'Doherty," she rolled her eyes, "Wasn't Christian supposed to be with you?"

He nodded, taking the place on the couch Gianna had just vacated, "Yeah, I passed him on my way up. He was signing in with Belikov."

I went over to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, "A few more minutes won't kill you."

A small smile spread across her face, "I know."

"Hey, you guys never answered my question! Whose sexuality were you questioning?" Hayden sat up straight and stared between the three of us. He was perpetually paranoid around us.

"Belikov's," Gianna answered with a smirk at the same time I heard the locks on the door click open.

"My what?" he apparently didn't have his earpiece in yet.

Lissa was already in Christian's arms and I smiled over at Dimitri who was closing the door behind him.

He cast a quick glance at them, apparently deeming they were safe, before coming to wrap me in his arms.

"I've missed you," he gave me a tender kiss on the lips. I heard Hayden gag from behind us. "How has everything been?" he looked down at my still flat stomach.

"Fine, same as it was when we spoke a few hours ago," I teased.

I was still having really bad morning sickness that I was trying desperately to hide from Lissa and Gianna. So far they hadn't noticed anything, but if they did, they didn't mention it. I think I lost a few pounds, but it was probably too small to notice.

I watched his eyes grow wide when he finally realized what I was wearing.

"See something you like?"

He gave me a sidelong glance but didn't comment further.

"What are we waiting for?" Christian interrupted.

"Guardian's Fitzgerald and Zerkovski are at the club doing a sweep, they'll let us know when we have the all clear," Dimitri informed him, ever the formal guardian.

Fitzgerald and Zerkovski were two more of Lissa's guardians but they mostly stayed behind the scenes along with Guardian Ramirez. Hayden, Gianna, and I were the ones that went out with her on a daily basis.

It was already well passed 11 at night when we finally got to a club near school and the place was already packed. It was decided that Dimitri and Gianna would stay at the bar, they were the only two of us over 21, Fitzgerald and Zerkovski were hovering around, and Hayden and I would follow Lissa and Christian wherever necessary.

After about an hour of dancing the stench of human sweat was finally starting to get to me. I felt myself growing more and more nauseous, and decided it was time to take my break.

The bar we were at had an outdoor patio that, in the chilly fall weather, I was hoping would be less crowded than the dance floor.

I squeezed myself out and took a deep breath when I crossed the doorway. There were a few people scattered around, but I was already feeling better out here.

I had just taken a seat and closed my eyes when I felt someone staring at me. I opened them slowly again and stared straight at a decent looking guy who I was pretty sure was in one of my classes.

Apparently he thought I was looking for company. He strolled over and reached his hand out, gesturing to the seat next to me, "This seat taken?" he asked lamely, already moving to sit next to me.

I shook my head no and closed my eyes again.

"You're in my political heritage class, right? Always sit with the tall blonde girl. I'm Carson."

I was forced to open my eyes, apparently this drunk kid just wasn't getting the 'leave me alone' message I was trying to send.

"Yeah, I'm Rose."

"Rose, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he scooted closer.

I shot him a dirty look and moved further away from him, crossing my arms over my chest, I could smell the alcohol seeping from his pores, "Thanks."

"I was watching you dancing back there; I could only imagine what else you can do with those hips. Why don't you let me buy you a drink?" he moved closer and put a hand on my knee.

Before I could swat it away, I saw a shadow looming over us. I looked up to meet Dimitri's stormy eyes. I couldn't help but smirk, this was going to be fun.

"Want to explain why your hand is on my girlfriend?" He stood back, crossing his arms over his chest. Jealousy was a good look on him from my end.

Carson visibly gulped, but stood up to Dimitri anyway, apparently trying to impress me. The difference in their height alone was pretty comical.

"She didn't seem to mind."

"That's not how I saw it," so help me, Dimitri puffed out his chest.

"She was just warming up to me," Carson insisted, "If you hadn't interrupted, she would've been all over me."

I actually almost laughed until I noticed a crowd was slowly forming.

"Dimitri, we're on duty. The kid's drunk, just let him go," I murmured low enough that he could only hear me through the earpieces we were wearing.

He gave me a small nod to show he understood and pulled Carson up off the ground by his shirt collar, "Okay, clearly you're drunk–"

"I could still take you," Carson insisted in his final show of bravado.

"Leave, _now_… before I break each of your fingers off one by one for touching her," Dimitri nodded towards me.

"You're a psycho, you know that!" he quickly backed away from us when Dimitri set him down.

"Yeah, but her dad's worse. You're lucky it was just me," he said low in Carson's face.

The poor kid's eyes widened and he turned around, seemingly disappearing into thin air. I hadn't seen a guy run that fast or that hard since the incident with Jesse.

I smiled, drawing myself to my feet so I could stand in front of Dimitri.

"Have I ever mentioned how sexy jealousy looks on you?" I smirked, reaching my arms up around his neck, and pressing my lips hard against his.

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**A/N 2: Please let me know if you'd like to read more along this story line in between regular updates. If not, I'll just continue on with strictly random one-shots.**


	13. Chapter 13: Forgiveness

**A/N:This one was hard to write because I never really tried to get into Christian's mind before, let me know how I did. I want to be able to improve for the next time!**

**Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter, please keep them coming!**  
**xoxo**

* * *

**Prompt: Forgiveness**  
**Words: 1,011**  
**POV: Christian**

"You know you really didn't have to come with me," I looked over at my new guardian who was walking beside me.

"You're my charge now, Lord Ozera; I'm not abandoning my position. I just got it back you know."

Dimitri had been my guardian for less than 48 hours and this was my first official outing with him. I knew he didn't want to leave Rose's side, and I felt bad for not staying in the palace with Lissa and her guards so he could be with her. But when I got word that my aunt was allowed visitors, I couldn't pass the chance up.

She was going to be moved into a high security, secret location until her trial next month. After that, it was only a matter of time until her execution. There was no avoiding it with all of the evidence and charges against her.

"Please just call me Christian," I hated to use my royal title. My parents never used them with our guards and I intended to continue that tradition. Besides, I didn't even feel royal unless I was out with Lissa.

He nodded and stared straight ahead at the court's prison looming in front of us.

When we arrived inside, the guardians on duty signed us in and forced us both through a metal detector before leading us along twisting stairs that went to the top floor.

I'd always assumed dangerous prisoners would be kept locked in the basement until I realized how uncomfortable it would be on the top floor in the daylight.

When we finally reached the visitor's room, a long table sat stretched across spanning wall to wall. It looked like a bank, with seats and a telephone. I took the seat three from the left and waited for my aunt to appear on the other side of the impenetrable glass between us.

Dimitri took a spot on the wall behind me, and I watched his reflection as his eyes glazed over, looking at nothing and everything at the same time.

I turned my attention when a movement on the other side of the glass caught my eye.

The door opened, and there stood my aunt, still dressed in a pair light gray sweatshirt and matching pants. It had been almost four days since she was taken into custody, and already she was looking paler, and more fragile, but it was the crazed look in her eyes that struck me the hardest.

The prison guardians led her to the seat across from me and her icy eyes softened just slightly. When she spotted Dimitri behind me they softened even more, and I realized she really had loved him.

She picked up the phone on her end and motioned to mine.

I picked it up and let out a deep breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding.

"Christian, I didn't think you'd come to see me," She gave me a small smirk.

"I almost didn't. I still can't believe what you did. You were all I had left, and Rose is the closest thing to family Lissa has. How could you do that to us?"

"I never thought I'd get caught; I had everything planned so well. You have to know I would never leave you if I could help it. Lissa was my only hope of getting everything to fall into place. But Rose was just collateral damage, good riddance either way."

All I could do was stare in astonishment. How could someone I loved so much, and loved me back all my life, be this cold hearted and use us all as pawns in her master plan.

She must have taken my shock as acceptance, and continued on, "Christian, I need you to help me," She put her hand up against the glass before pulling it away in frustration. "You have to talk to Lissa, she's the queen now. I need her to vote in my favor no matter what the council decides. With her help, they won't kill me. Sure, I'll be locked up for a while, but I'm a fighter! I can get myself out, but I need you to get me there first! Give me a chance to fight!"

"Are you even sorry for what you did?" I was still in shock at her request.

A slow tear slid down her face, "I'm sorry I got locked up and taken away from you. But I can't be sorry for what I did to get Lissa a voice on the council. She has the ability to do so much good for our people. I hope you can forgive me for that," she wiped her tears away, "And I guess I'm sorry for how Rose had to die, I wish it could have been painless for her in the end, but she did have to go either way."

I was numb. "There's no forgiveness for you," I stood up and turned away, ready to leave.

Dimitri held my arm before walking over to the seat I was just in. He didn't even bother sitting down, just picked up the other line to the phone Tasha still held.

"How dare you try to take Rose away from me?" he asked in the most menacing voice I'd ever heard come out of him.

"What do you mean try? Dimka, you were stupid to even fall for her little puppy love. We could've been a family. We could've had it all! I loved you! I still love you! More than that little bitch ever did!"

"No you don't. Rose is still alive," her eyes widened in shock, she almost dropped the phone. "You don't really love me, and you never did. Rose was willing to do what you couldn't. She told me to accept your offer because she wanted to see me happy. She sacrificed her happiness for mine! That's real love, not that crap you were trying to offer me. I will _never_ forgive you for trying to take my Roza from me, and I hope I _never _see you again."

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**A/N 2: As per your requests, I'm going to continue the _superstitions_ story line in between random one shots on here. I think I want to do another one or two more randoms before the next one. If there's something you want to see happen, either review or PM me and I'll try to make it happen!  
**


	14. Chapter 14: Lust

**A/N: This one's the lust charm scene from VA in Dimitri's POV. By nature, a lot of the dialogue is taken directly from the book, but it all belongs to Richelle Mead, not me :(**  
**This is just my spin on things;)**  
**Hope you enjoy!**  
_**Please Review!**_

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**Prompt: Lust**  
**Words: 1,963**  
**POV: Dimitri**

I was going to Hell; there was no doubt about it. I couldn't get the vision of her in that tight black dress out of my head. It was sexier than I even imagined it would be when I saw her pick it up.

That girl would be the death of me and I would go straight to Hell enjoying every moment with her. She was my student, my seventeen year old student for Christ's sake. I shouldn't be feeling this way about her. I felt the desire creeping up within me and tried to squash it to no avail.

I slammed the western shut that I'd been trying to distract myself with and stood up from my bed, deciding a cold shower would do me a world of good.

I took a towel out of my closet and headed into the private bathroom attached to my bedroom. I hung it from the towel rack beside me, quickly removing the sweatshirt from my own academy that was suddenly suffocating me.

I folded my clothes, laying them neatly on the bathroom counter before stepping into the ice cold shower.

_Serves you right for thinking about your under aged student that way_.

I slammed my fist against the wall, letting the cold water rush over my hair and down my overheating body.

I could do this. I just had to draw the line firmer with her during practices. It's not like I'd ever touched her. But just the thought of it drove me wild.

I wanted to run my hands through her deep brown hair, and—no I could not be thinking about her this way.

I turned the shower off abruptly, stepping out and sliding into a pair of pajama pants. I didn't even bother drying my hair or putting on a shirt. Maybe some of the icy water dripping off could distract me.

I slid under the covers before shutting off my bedside lamp. The sun would be coming up soon, I wouldn't need it anymore.

I lay there, tossing and turning. I hadn't even realized I dozed off until I heard an insane pounding at my door. It sounded like an army trying to break in.

It was still dark out, so I flipped my lamp back on and threw the covers off to the side, rushing to the door in case there was a real emergency on the other end.

I opened the door slowly and felt my eyes widen in surprise when I saw Rose standing there in front of me in the dress that was driving me wild.

"Rose?" I had no idea why she'd be up here at this hour, or how she'd even found my room in the first place.

"Let me in, it's Lissa."

"What's wrong?" I stepped aside immediately, mind instantly going into panic mode. It could be anything with these girls, but I had a feeling it was bad for Rose to be coming to me this way.

I watched as her eyes scanned my body from top to bottom, before she took a step forward, aiming a kiss at my bare chest.

"Rose!" I took a step back; we could not be doing this, "What are you doing?"

"What do you think," she moved towards me again, and I held up a hand in front of her. I could get fired for this.

"Are you drunk?" It wouldn't be the first time from what I've heard.

"Don't I wish." She tried to get around my arm then stopped suddenly. A look of hurt crossing her face, "I thought you wanted to - don't you think I'm pretty?"

Did I think she was pretty? I thought pretty was an understatement, but I could never admit that to her. I couldn't, at least not until she was of age…and graduated.

"Rose, I don't know what's going on, but you need to go back to your room."

She took another step towards me. I grabbed her wrists in an attempt to stop her from doing something she'd regret. The instant my skin met hers my mind worries faded away, and everything that was holding me back suddenly didn't matter.

All of the desire I felt towards her earlier came rushing back with nothing in the way to stop it. I released her wrists and moved my hands slowly up her bare arms. I needed her more than I'd ever needed anything in my life, and the voice in my head told me she'd give it all to me.

I pulled her body towards me until she was pressed up against me, my eyes never leaving hers. I wanted her and I could see an animal desire in her that wanted me too.

I slid one of my hands further up her body. Fingertips brushing lightly up her neck until they rested in her silky, thick hair.

I couldn't help it anymore. I pulled against her hair making her face tilt up towards mine and I lightly brushed my lips against hers.

I watched her swallow; I could tell she was nervous and just wanted her to relax.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" she had never looked so unsure of herself.

I never took my eyes off of her, "I think you're beautiful."

"Beautiful?"

"You are so beautiful, it hurts me sometimes." I looked back down at her lips.

I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers, gentile at first, until I felt her responding. Then the kisses grew hard and hungry. I needed her, all of her,_ now_. I let my arms slide back down her body, brushing against the sides of her breasts, and down the curves of her hips until I reached the hem of her dress. I gathered the dress in my hands and began pushing it up the length of her body. I needed to see all of her. My hands kept sliding up until it reached the top of her head. I pulled it over and tossed it away from us, not caring where it landed.

"You...you got rid of that dress fast," she pointed out between heavy breaths. "I thought you liked it."

"I do like it," I paused to take a breath. Mine were coming just as fast and heavy as hers. "I love it."

I picked her up, carrying her over to my bed. I felt my pants tighten when she wrapped her legs around my body. I laid her down under me and reached around, unfastening the clasp of her lacy black bra.

She was clinging tight to me as I placed kisses all the way down her body, not stopping when I reached the only scrap of black lace still covering her body. I hooked my fingers around the material and pulled it down slowly. The voice in my head that just earlier was telling me how wrong this would be was replaced by one telling me that this was the right thing to do. That I needed her and she needed me. She was all I could think about and her kisses consumed me.

I wanted to be with her, really _with her_ so badly, but I could see a slight apprehension still in her eyes. I needed to be with her, but I needed to take my time. I'd waited this long, what was a few more minutes, even hours.

"Roza…" I whispered her name like a prayer. It was a prayer. She was an angel here in front of me, an angel that I would never let go.

At some point, she shifted so that she was hovering over me, her hair surrounding us. I tilted my head slightly, and felt her brush her fingertips over the six tiny marks tattooed on the back of my neck.

"Did you really kill six Strigoi?" I nodded. "Wow."

I brought her neck down to my mouth and kissed her, teeth grazing gently against her skin.

"Don't worry. You'll have a lot more than me someday," I continued kissing and nibbling on her neck.

"Do you feel guilty about it?" she asked suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Killing them. You said in the van that it was the right thing to do, but it still bothers you. It's why you go to church, isn't it? I see you there, but you aren't really into the services."

No one had ever guessed that about me. I smiled, clearly amused, "How do you know these things? I'm not guilty exactly...just sad sometimes. All of them used to be human or dhampir or Moroi. It's a waste, that's all, but as I said before, it's something I have to do. Something we all have to do. Sometimes it bothers me, and the chapel is a good place to think about those kinds of things. Sometimes I find peace there, but not often. I find more peace with you."

I rolled us over, moving so that I hovered over her again. I kissed her even harder than I previously had and felt her getting more into it. I pulled back and saw the decision in her eyes.

The corners of my lips turned up and I reached around the back of her neck, unfastening her necklace, I wanted her completely bare in front of me.

I reached over, setting it on the bedside table. As soon as the chain left my fingers, I felt like I'd been splashed with frigid water, my mind suddenly sharp and clear.

"What happened?" I asked, taking in her naked form.

"I-I don't know," she stammered. She looked like she was trying to sift through her muddled memories.

I frowned, trying to decipher the mixed feelings inside of me. I knew I wanted her bad, but the voice in my head that told me it was wrong to want her came back in full force.

After several moments, I reached over and picked up the necklace. The instant my fingers touched it, the responsible voice disappeared again. I slid my free hand onto her hip, and watched as the desire spread into her too. Her breath quickened again and I leaned down, needing to press my lips against hers again.

"Lissa," she whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. "I have to tell you something about Lissa. But I can't...remember...I feel so strange..."

"I know," I rested my cheek against her forehead, arms still wrapped around her, "There's something...something here..." I pulled my face away, and felt a tingle in the hand that was holding the chain. "This necklace. That's the one Prince Victor gave you?"

She nodded; Prince Victor is an earth user, he must have charmed the necklace. Taking a deep breath, I removed my hand from her hip and pushed myself away. I needed to get rid of this thing.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed. "Come back..."

I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I wanted her _so_ badly, but I needed to get rid of this thing.

The necklace was pushing me back towards her but I fought against it. It hurt me to be away from her. I _needed_ her.

I reached the window and managed to open it one-handed. Cold air blasted in, stirring a little more consciousness back into me. It gave me the push I needed to get rid of the lust charm.

"What are you going to - ?" she sprang out of my bed, just as the necklace slipped from my fingers flying out the window. "No! Do you know how much that must have- ?"

The necklace was gone, and my mind snapped back to what Rose must've needed in the first place. I think it had to do with Lissa.

I looked over at Rose. Naked. In my room. The rumpled bed behind her.

_Shit…_


	15. Chapter 15: Miracle

**A/N: I'm back in school so please bear with me. I'm hoping to update at least twice a week.  
I really struggled with this one. Please let me know what you think about it.  
Please Read and _REVIEW_!  
xoxo**

**P.S. ****I'm a little on the fence about adding Sydney and Adrian one-shots, would you be interested in reading about them in here too?  
Let me know :)**

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**Prompt: Miracle**  
**Words: 912**  
**POV: Rose**

***Superstition story line***

"Rose!" Gianna pounded on the bathroom door, "What the hell is going on in there?!"

I heaved again, but my stomach was empty, there was nothing left to come up. Legs shaking, I stood up, slowly making my way over to the door. When I opened it, I was surprised to see both Gianna and Lissa standing on the other side.

"I'm fine," I insisted, turning around to finish brushing my teeth.

"Rose, I don't need to see your aura to know you're lying," Lissa started, staring at my eyes through the mirror. "This isn't the first time we've heard you get sick—"

Gianna cut her off, "And you look like you're wasting away. If you wanted to drop a few pounds, there are healthier ways to do it, you know."

I laughed, "You two think I have an eating disorder?" I took their silence as confirmation. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but really, I'm fine."

They both stared at me from the doorway, skepticism clear in their eyes.

When I went to take a step, I swayed on my feet.

"ROSE!" Lissa exclaimed.

Gianna was there to catch me and lead me back out into the suite's living room. Lissa followed quickly behind, I didn't need the bond to tell me how panicked she was.

She settled herself next to me, and held my cold hand in hers. "That's it. Rosemarie, what are you hiding from us! From me?! You promised me no more secrets. I would never want to compel you, but I won't hesitate if you lie to me again. Now talk. Do you need me to heal you?"

"No! Absolutely not, no spirit! What I have can't be healed anyway," I watched her eyes grow wider, and realized I'd worded it wrong. "No, relax, Liss. I'm not going to die over this, I just need an IV. I was going to go tonight when we got back but now I don't know if it can wait."

"No, Rose, this cannot wait." Gianna said, already grabbing the car keys.

"Wait," Lissa held her off, "Why would you need an IV? Are you that sick?"

"I haven't kept much down except water in days," I looked between both of them, "I was trying to wait until my next doctor's appointment to tell you…I'm pregnant. I've been seeing a doctor privately every week when I get back to court. Everything seems fine so far; other than the morning sickness of course."

Gianna's mouth popped open "How far along are you?"

"9 weeks."

"How could you keep this from me?" Lissa pulled my into her arms, "Does Adrian know?"

I shook my head, "It's Dimitri's baby."

"That's impossible! Weren't you still with Adrian around then?" Lissa pulled back to look me in the eyes. Gianna, was apparently speechless.

"It happened while we were…away. Right after we found out about Jill."

"That's why he's been so upset, you cheated on Adrian." Lissa didn't pose it as a question.

"It's not like we planned it, it just sort of happened."

"How did Dimitri knock you up?" Gianna apparently found her voice.

"Didn't you take sex ed.?"

"Yeah, and I specifically remember the unit on how it was impossible for dhampirs to get each other pregnant," she set the keys back down and came to sit in front of us on the coffee table.

I quoted Yeva, "Nothing's impossible."

"Yeah, no shit," she leaned her elbows on her knees, staring at me like I'd grown another head in front of her, "Well what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know, but you both have to promise you won't tell anyone else," I looked first at Gianna, then over to Lissa.

Her jade green eyes dropped to my stomach, "Rose, you can't put yourself at risk for me anymore. You have to take time off. Put yourself and your baby first."

"I can't do that, Liss. I'm sworn to protect you."

"I have plenty of other competent guards who can go on active duty for a few months," she saw the protest forming on my lips and promptly squashed it. "This baby you're carrying is a miracle! I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to either one of you while you were guarding me."

"She's right, Rose. It's too dangerous for you to be out here," Gianna moved forward to catch my hand in hers, "If a group of strigoi, or even another group of rebels came right now, and somehow incapacitated me, I have no doubt that you'd throw yourself in front of Lissa."

"That's my job," I felt tears welling up, threatening to spill over.

"Exactly, but right now your job should just be to focus on having a healthy baby. If anything, you should get your own guardian. Everyone's going to be all over your case when they find out," she looked right into my eyes, "This is one of the biggest breakthroughs to ever happen among dhampirs. Do you know how amazing it would be to have our own babies?"

Gianna's boyfriend was a dhampir she went to school with, one who was currently working at an academy down south. They'd been together for a while. I'm sure she wouldn't hesitate to have a baby with him if it were possible. I realized my case was especially personal to her.

The tears slipped down my face and I quickly wiped them away, "I'll talk to Hans tonight."


	16. Chapter 16: Father

**A/N: Extremely short update today. I originally wrote this to be part of the last chapter, but I couldn't figure out how to link the two. This should be the last time two Superstition updates are back to back. In response to the guest reviewers, I do plan on writing the whole _Superstitions_ story here in _Silver Stakes_ between randoms. **

**Anyway, please continue to Read and _Review_!  
Hope you enjoy!  
xoxo**

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**Prompt: Father**  
**Words: 429**  
**POV: Rose**

***Superstitions***

After the incident at the airport, my parents insisted on getting me to one of our hospitals. Dimitri and I were alone in the exam room when the lab reports came back on my blood tests, definitely pregnant. It was no surprise to me but a huge shock to him.

He didn't make a scene while the nurse was in the room, but the second she left he scooted his plastic chair closer to me, "Rose, how long have you known?"

"Since we got off the flight. My mom made me take a test."

"And why didn't you tell me on the way over?" he looked hurt, a rarity for him.

"I wanted to be sure first."

"You should call Adrian," he slipped his guardian mask back on and looked down at our hands clasped together.

"Why would I call him?"

"He's the baby's father, he deserves to know."

I shook my head, "Adrian's not the father, Comrade. You are."

He gripped my hand tighter, running the other through a few loose strands of my hair, "Rose, you know I'll love your baby no matter what, it's a part of you. I will be its father if that's what you want from me, but it's still Adrian's baby too. He needs to know."

I shook my head again and pressed a hand to his cheek, "No, Dimitri, you're this baby's father. It's biological father."

He dropped my hand he was holding, "That's impossible, Rose. Do you need me to explain the birds, bees, and dhampirs to you again?"

I scoffed, "I'm not an idiot! Look, I don't know the specifics of how this happened, but I can guarantee, without a doubt, that this is your kid."

"Rose, two dhampirs can't have children together. It has to be Adrian's!"

"Well I don't know how that's possible since I've only ever had sex with you," I was struggling to keep my voice down, not wanting others to hear about my sex life.

"What about that day in the café? I saw the bite marks on your neck. You had to have gotten pregnant around then."

"Yeah, I did... Two weeks later when I slept with you."

He stood up and began pacing the room, "How am I supposed to believe that's possible?"

"Nothings impossible, you of all people should know that."

Realization shone in his eyes, followed by a not so nice curse in Russian, "She told you too… Of course she did."

"Yeah, I guess the crazy old bat was right for once," I gave him a sly smile.


	17. Chapter 17: Rose

**A/N: New chapter's here! I'm back to randoms for the next one or two, then I'll continue with _Superstitions_. Hope you enjoy this one.**  
**PLEASE Read and _Review!_**  
**xoxo**

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**Prompt: Rose**  
**Words: 541**  
**POV: Janine**

Being a new guardian sucks. I mean don't get me wrong, Lord Szlesky's great, and he loves to travel, which is pretty cool. I'd never get to see these parts of the world if it weren't for him. But all these royal functions where I had to be stiff and formal just sucked the life right out of me.

I shifted my weight from one leg to the other, struggling to keep my face expressionless as I kept an eye on the bar in the room.

I was essentially babysitting a bunch of old, drunk, royals at this point. We were in the middle of our night, which meant the sun was shining bright in the middle of the sky. A strigoi would be suicidal to even consider coming out at this time.

A passing flash of gold and bright turquoise brought my attention back to the room. I'd seen this guy pass by me quite a few times already, and this time he was blatantly checking me out. I've kept eye on him all night, watching him flirt with almost every royal woman in the room.

I turned my head to face him, "Can I help you Lord…" I stopped. He was young, maybe only a few years older than me, and rather good looking; I'd never seen him before.

"Oh no, dear, I'm not royal," he spoke with a native accent.

However hot he was, this guy had some nerve to call me dear.

"How'd you even get in here then?" I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest. Not very professional, but oh well, as he said, he wasn't a royal.

He smiled, revealing his fangs, "Princess Ivashkov requested my presence here tonight." A mischievous glint lit his deep brown eyes, "She should be our new queen soon, you know."

I didn't need reminding. Tatiana was such a royal pain in the ass, no pun intended; she'd make a perfect snotty queen.

I struggled to keep a straight face, "Well isn't that just lovely."

He chuckled, "Oh, Janine, I do enjoy your candor."

My face slipped, "How the hell do you know my name?"

"I make it a point to know all the beautiful women in the room. You're certainly no exception," he winked, leaning in closer to me; "Actually, to be honest, you're in a league all your own. I wouldn't mind getting to know you better."

I scoffed. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Openly flirting with me in front of very important royals while I was on duty!

"I am a guardian, not a blood whore. You do know that, right? Mr…"

"Mazur. Ibrahim Mazur. And yes, I'm fully aware of your status, Guardian Hathaway," he leaned in impossibly closer. I felt his breath, warm against my skin, which sent chills down my spine, "You're just as beautiful as you are deadly."

I was rendered speechless.

He took a step back and I watched as the potted plant next to us suddenly grew light purple roses. I stood there enchanted. I'd never seen an earth user do that before.

He plucked one off and pressed it into my hand, fingers lingering there a little longer than necessary, "Until next time, my dear."


	18. Chapter 18: Decision

**Prompt: Decision  
****Words: 664  
****POV: Alberta**

For all intents and purposes, I considered Rosemarie Hathaway my daughter. From the time her mother dropped her off to me as a toddler, I took a special interest in her.

She'd always had such extraordinary raw talent. It was clear since she was on the elementary campus. I remember one time, when she was in kindergarten; she hit her teacher with a text book. She landed a hit on a moving target when she was just five! How can you discipline something like that when it was executed so well?!

She was easily our most promising novice. Eric and Rhea were so glad when they saw the friendship between her and Vasilisa blooming.

Unbeknownst to the girls, the Dragomir's issued a formal proposal to have Rose as Vasilisa's sanctioned guardian when they were just twelve.

I for one was ecstatic. An opportunity like that didn't come along very often. The Dragomir's were a dying line. To be one of their guardian's would ensure a comfortable life, at least, as comfortable a life a dhampir could get.

The family brought her along to everything. I loved that she was able to have some semblance of a family life. But the night of the accident, I wished she never went along with them.

When I first got the call, we didn't have any details, other than everyone who was in the car was taken to a local hospital.

I sent a quick message to Janine, and rushed out of the school, needing to know more about Rose than anyone else in the car.

I shouldn't have; as a guardian, the Dragomir's should have been the ones I was worried about. They should have come first. But Rose did… to me at least.

The following months were hard on both girls. Vasilisa was having a hard time, but seemed to calm down whenever Rose was around. I let them slip and slide with the rules a lot. Curfews virtually became nonexistent between the two. But I couldn't keep them apart, they needed each other.

That was one of the biggest mistakes I made. I had just been appointed captain of the school's guardians when it was reported to me that Rose and Vasilisa were missing. A search party was immediately sent out, but there was no sign of the girls.

I followed every lead we got for just under a year, to no avail. It was becoming too time consuming for me with all of my other responsibilities, so it was decided that we appoint someone else to their case.

The Queen sent word that she had the perfect man for the job: a guardian whose charge was killed while he was away.

Dimitri Belikov. He was young, barely looked old enough to have graduated himself, but came with glowing reviews.

We had him teaching my classes at first, to assess his skills, but it was quickly apparent that it was a waste of our resources to keep him here.

I handed him over the files and he dove into the case, quickly becoming obsessed with the Princess and her renegade friend.

If he could truly find the Princess and return her safely, he was to become her sanctioned guardian. A position I wanted so badly for Rose, but I could accept it if it meant he brought them both back.

A little over a year after he arrived at the academy, he caught a solid break in the case. Once it was confirmed, ten guardians, including him, were sent out to bring the girls back.

I was stunned silent when they were back as I watched Dimitri fight for Rose's spot in the academy.

In all the time he'd been there, I never seen such passion in him. Hell, I'd barely even heard him speak, let alone argue.

When Ellen decided to let her stay, and appointed him as her mentor, I knew that her decision would be life changing.

And boy was I right.

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**A/N: Hope you liked this chapter. I tried something new with it, and I'm not sure how I feel about this writing style. Please Review and let me know what you thought!**

**P.S. Next chapter should be _Superstitions_ and FYI your reviews inspire me to write faster :P**  
**P.P.S. Happy Birthday Sydney Sage!**


	19. Chapter 19: Pillow

**A/N: Wow, two updates in one day (technically)! I was on a roll after writing the last chapter, I guess this is what happens when I get a snow day. **  
**Sorry I lied in my last author's note, this one is just a generic Romitri. I promise you'll get a new _Superstitions_ update next.**  
**Hope you enjoy this one anyway.**  
**_PLEASE_ read and _REVIEW!_**  
**Thanks!**  
**xoxo**

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**Prompt: Pillow**  
**Words: 671**  
**POV: Dimitri**

Pillow talk between Rose and I varied a lot. It always started the same, Rose cuddling close so that we were both resting on the same pillow, her tucked close to my body in various states of undress, our limbs tangled together.

The topic could be anything, I usually let her pick because I loved to hear what she came up with. I was ready for almost anything, talks of food Christian made, some boring meeting/class she had to sit through with Lissa, our families, or (my favorite) our future together. But I was not expecting what she came up with tonight.

"Comrade," she asked tentatively, tucking her head into the crook of my neck, "I don't mean to be intrusive, and you don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable, but I was wondering…" she stopped and pulled her head back to look me in the eye. I could practically see the question buzzing in her head.

My mind was already whirling, trying to figure out what her question could be, desperately hoping it had nothing to do with our time in Siberia.

"What is it, Roza?" I tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

She still looked uneasy, "Well, I was just wondering what it is you were doing when Ivan got killed. I know you said you were away, but you never really talked about it more."

I paused, not knowing how to continue. I knew I owed her the truth. It had been almost three years since it happened, but it was also something I'd kept locked away that long. The guilt I still felt was overwhelming, topped only by my time as one of the undead.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it."

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it; I just never have."

She snuggled her head back down and I felt her nod against my chest, "It was a girl, wasn't it."

My arms stiffened around her body.I still don't know how she could tell so much about me. "It was; I mean I saw my family too, but she was the reason I took time off."

"What was she like? She had to be pretty amazing to get you to take time off."

"Her name was Sofia; we went to the same academy. She was a Moroi, half-royal, her mother was a Lazar." This was weird for me. I hadn't spoken to or about her in years. "She was pretty, and really sweet, always cared about others before herself. She was nothing like the other royals. That's what originally drew Ivan and me to her. We were just friends for a while, but then we started seeing each other on and off after our junior year. I hadn't seen her since graduation when Ivan all but forced me to take leave and go visit her."

"Do you blame her for what happened to him?" she started moving her fingers slowly across my bare chest.

I thought about it for a minute, no one had ever asked me that before, "No, I don't. I mean, I guess I resented her at first. But then, after a while, I realized there's really no one to blame except the strigoi that did that to him. He killed my guarding partner too, you know," I didn't tell her that I'd personally hunted down that strigoi while I was one of the undead myself. That was one of the only deaths I didn't feel guilty for.

Her hand stilled, "Then why aren't you with her anymore?"

"She couldn't handle being in a relationship with a guardian. She always hated that we couldn't see each other every day, and then her parents started pressuring her to marry a royal. Honestly, I think deep down we both knew that what we had wasn't real love anyway." I reached down and tipped Rose's face up so I could look her in the eyes, "I didn't know real love until I met you."


	20. Chapter 20: April

**A/N: New _Superstitions_! Hope you enjoy this one, it's just kind of a go between until the next one in the story-line (which I promise will be extra fluffy)!**  
**Please please please read and _REVIEW!_**  
**xoxo**

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**Prompt: April**  
**Words: 649**  
**POV: Rose**

_***Superstitions***_

We got back to court just as the Moroi day was starting. Walking into the guardian's main office, Dimitri quickly caught up to me. He was just signing out from his overnight shift with Christian, and I guess he assumed I was doing the same.

I stopped at my desk to go through that week's reports, and looked up to see him standing across from me on the other side.

"You look a lot better today," he observed, "Maybe you can skip the IV tonight."

I leaned over the desk to give him a quick kiss, "I already got it; Gianna made me go earlier."

He raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were waiting to tell them."

I shuffled a few papers around, looking for my time sheet. "I wanted to, but I got worse this morning."

"Rose, you really should take some time off. You're getting overworked, and I don't think that's healthy," he was using his instructor voice, and I didn't appreciate that.

I rolled my eyes up to look at him briefly, momentarily interrupting my search, "You can't tell me what to do anymore, Comrade. We're equals now, remember?" I turned my attention back to the pile of papers in my hands.

"You've always been my equal," he scoffed; I could hear him struggling to stay in control. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I'm just suggesting what I think would be best for you… and the baby," he murmured low enough so that only I could hear.

Finally finding what I was looking for, I pulled it out of the pile and stood up. "I know you're just looking out for us. I was actually on my way to go talk to Hans about everything now."

He smiled and stood to join me, taking my free hand in his. We walked to Han's office in a comfortable silence. With every step I took I felt myself getting more and more nervous.

Finally we reached his door and found it slightly ajar. Dimitri dropped my hand and reached up to knock.

"Come in," Hans called from the other side.

Dimitri pushed the door open, and waited for me to go in before him. Once we were both in the room, he pulled the door shut tightly behind him.

"Ah, welcome back Hathaway. Need me to sign off?" he asked, gesturing to the papers in my hand.

"Aw, I knew you'd miss me," I plopped down in the seat directly in front of him, sliding my reports over as Dimitri took the seat beside me. "That and I actually need to talk to you about something."

"We both do," Dimitri interjected.

This caught Han's attention. He looked up and shifted his gaze between the two of us. "Please don't tell me you two are running off to get married and disappear into the human world."

"Please, do you really think I'd leave Liss—Queen Vasilisa, like that?"

"Rosemarie, I don't know what to think when it comes to you," he looked at me over the top of his glasses and folded his hands on the desk in front of him. "Well, what is it then?"

I looked over at Dimitri out of the corner of my eye and started to chew the corner of my bottom lip. He reached over and took my hand in his, giving me the confidence to continue.

"I think I'm going to need some more time off of active duty."

"Oh, that's all?" he looked back down, glancing at the calendar on his desk, "How much more time do you think you need?"

"At least until the end of April," I said with a smirk.

He started to nod but then cut it off short. Suddenly his head snapped up, "That's almost 9 months from now."

"I know."

Then it clicked, "Wait, you're not…" he trailed off.

I nodded, "I am."


End file.
